Tri-Parish Catholic Churches of Dodge County

ROME (CNS) -- The first U.S.-born pope is very much looking forward to eventually visiting his native country even as he prepares to head to Latin America -- his seventh papal trip abroad after his election a year and a half ago, the Vatican foreign minister said.

"Obviously a visit to the United States is very likely, I would say, in the not-too-distant future," said Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher, the Vatican's secretary for relations with states and international organizations, at the foreign press club in Rome Oct. 27.

"Whether it'll be '27 or later, I really don't know," he said, since "one of the things that will influence it is eventually the American elections."

Once the midterm elections are over this fall, then the window of opportunity might open in 2027, he said, adding that too late in the year will start being "the vigil of the presidential election, so that may affect an eventual decision on the date."

"But yes, there's no doubt about it, the pope wants to go to the States; he very much is looking forward to that," the British diplomat said during an hour-long conversation with reporters. 

Latin America trip follows surgery

Pope Leo heads to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru Nov. 6-17, less than four weeks after he had lung cancer surgery that removed his lower right lobe. Doctors have said the pope's recovery has been progressing well, no more cancer was detected and no further treatment was required.

Asked why the pope did not put off the trip, which will include multiple long flights and high altitudes, Archbishop Gallagher said, "He's going on this trip very simply because he wants to go."

"He was looking forward to it," and given the positive clinical reports, "he feels he can go," he said.

The archbishop said he, like the general public, was surprised when the pope announced in early October that doctors had found a nodule that then turned out to be cancerous. 

When then 69-year-old Cardinal Robert F. Prevost was elected pontiff in 2025, he hit the ground running, the archbishop said. "I think there was a temptation to think, here we have Superman, the Super-Pope."

"The fact that he has fallen ill, with, in many ways, one of the most common illnesses of our age, means that he is a poor mortal like the rest of us, and I think that that is going to change how we see him and possibly how he sees himself as well," Archbishop Gallagher said, calling it "a bit of a game-changer" for this pontificate.

"But I don't think it is going to be necessarily bringing things forward or accelerating things very much, at least not in the immediate future," he said. "I think he will stick to his plan, and he will stick to revealing his plan" slowly, as he has done so far.

Pope Leo's working style

The journalist leading the conversation with the archbishop asked how the Roman Curia sees the U.S.-born pope and whether he is seen as "a no-nonsense American caped crusader with a math degree," who is going to "fix all of the Vatican's financial problems," or whether he is too unfamiliar with the workings of Rome and the "curia will eventually eat him alive."

Archbishop Gallagher said, "I think he is business-like in that way" and that "I've heard a number of people who are on the economic side of the Vatican's finances saying it's good to have a pope who can read a spreadsheet."

"He is, in many ways, easier to work with at the human level," he said, and the pope being an "English speaker makes some things easier."

"I think Pope Leo really wants to get to grips with things," and often asks follow-up questions, he said. "So, I don't think the curia will eat him up. I think if there's any indication of that, he will demonstrate that he too has an appetite." 

The Vatican foreign minister, who works closely with the pope and the Vatican's Secretariat of State to keep the pope informed about global, regional and local events and then helps carry out the pope's agenda, said he finds Pope Leo to be "extremely well informed."

Every week, the archbishop meets with the pope to "go through my papers and mention things (and) nearly everything I say he knows already, which possibly is something I should examine my conscience about."

"He obviously informs himself very well" during his very busy schedule, he said, and "I think he has a little bit of a natural touch for politics."

One trait that distinguishes Pope Leo from his predecessors, said the archbishop, who has served under four popes since he joined the Vatican diplomatic service in 1984, "is that he always has this great serenity."

"Even when he's looking at the world scene, even when there are tensions or there are negative reactions to something that he has said or to what the Holy See has done, he's really unfazed by all of that," he said. "He's only preaching the Gospel. He's doing what he believes he has to do, in the way he believes he has to do, and he will go on in that way."

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Catholics must not live their faith in opposition or "hostility" toward modern culture, Pope Leo XIV said, emphasizing that integrating faith and culture is essential to living out the Christian vocation and sharing the Gospel with others.

"The authentic relationship between faith and culture is rooted in the Incarnation," he said in his address to English speakers during his weekly general audience Oct. 28 in St. Peter's Square. "Faith, therefore, enriches and brings to fulfillment every culture it encounters, and is itself called to become a culture that is shaped by Christ."

Throughout history, the Catholic Church has played a significant role in creating educational opportunities, the pope said, noting that many medieval universities arose from the Church and contributed to the development of Western civilization.

The Church continues to promote access to education and culture, he said, citing the Second Vatican Council's pastoral constitution "Gaudium et Spes" and its call to overcome illiteracy and to ensure that everyone has access to fundamental cultural opportunities.

Pope Leo also emphasized the importance of expanding access to higher education, especially for women, and encouraged Christians to deepen their scientific and cultural knowledge alongside their understanding of the faith.

"The Church promotes culture because it is a good in itself; it is a service to the human being and to the fulfilment of her vocation on earth," the pope said during his main catechesis in Italian.

Yet the development of human knowledge and culture also raises new and deeper questions, prompting believers to reflect more deeply on their faith, he said.

Faith itself is interwoven with culture through traditions, art, poetry, thought and science, Pope Leo said. Quoting St. John Paul II, he said "a faith that does not become culture is a faith that is not fully embraced, not fully thought through, not faithfully lived."

Faith is not limited to any one culture, but can take root in all cultures, shaping them according to the example of Jesus Christ through charity, service and recognition of God as Father, he said.

"In this way, the Church draws from the various cultures all that is good, beautiful and true, in order to embody and transmit the message of the Gospel," the pope said.

He urged theologians in particular to collaborate with experts in other disciplines, arguing that intellectual inquiry and religious formation should develop together.

The pope said that cultural expression can open people's minds to fundamental questions about the meaning of the world and human existence, helping prepare them to receive the Gospel.

Catholics, he said, must strive to understand the cultures they live in, rather than approach the modern world with opposition.

"Achieving a mature and responsible synthesis between faith and culture is, in fact, a necessary condition for persevering in the Christian vocation," he said, as well as for communicating the faith to others in a credible way.

WASHINGTON - Across the United States, approximately 2,750 pregnancy help centers offer life-affirming support to pregnant and parenting women in need. In celebrating their witness to life, and in observance of Pregnancy Help Appreciation Week, November 9-13, Bishop Daniel E. Thomas, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Pro-Life Activities, issued the following statement:

“During Pregnancy Help Appreciation Week, we express our sincere gratitude for all those who work to provide necessary resources to women, babies, and families during pregnancy and beyond. 

“Pregnancy help organizations, maternity homes, medical and resource help centers, and adoption agencies provide heroic services every day to anyone in need. Many pregnancy care centers offer free medical services, including ultrasounds, prenatal and postnatal care, and referrals for free or low-cost childbirth. They also provide resources such as baby clothes and diapers, childcare, career services, referrals for housing, and much more. 

“We also recognize the life-changing help being provided by the countless volunteers in our parishes that accompany vulnerable women and families through our nationwide Walking with Moms in Need initiative.

“May all those who serve and protect life be encouraged by our prayers, our good works and our financial support to build a culture of life.”

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WASHINGTON - The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Subcommittee on Hispanic/Latino Affairs has named Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles as the recipient of the Encuentros Award. This prestigious distinction recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to Hispanic/Latino ministry in the Catholic Church in the United States. The announcement was made by Bishop Oscar Cantú, chairman of the USCCB’s Subcommittee on Hispanic/Latino Affairs during the annual conference for the National Catholic Association of Diocesan Directors for Hispanic Ministry this week. 

“Archbishop Gomez has advocated for the Hispanic community for decades. He has been a tireless champion for the Catholic Church, and, specifically, for Hispanic Catholics, highlighting the gifts that they bring to the Church in the United States,” said Bishop Cantú. “With the Encuentros Award, we wish recognize his work and express our heartfelt appreciation for all he has done across many years.”

Archbishop Gomez served as president of the USCCB from 2019-2022. Read his full biography. 

Established in 2023, the Encuentros Award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the development, leadership, and accompaniment of Hispanic and Latino ministry in the Catholic Church in the United States. Previous recipients include: His Eminence Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, OFM Cap.; Most Rev. Gerald R. Barnes; Sister Norma Pimentel, MJ; Sister Ana Maria Pineda, RSM; Carmen Aguinaco; and Ken Johnson-Mondragón. 

Bishop Cantú will present the Encuentros Award to Archbishop Gomez at a reception during the U.S. bishops’ annual plenary assembly in Baltimore.

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV will not need further cancer treatment, the Vatican announced Oct. 22.

Final examinations of tissue removed during his lung surgery confirmed that the cancer was localized lung adenocarcinoma, and an oncological evaluation determined that no additional therapy was necessary, according to a Vatican communique.

Despite the positive medical findings, doctors are still recommending precautions as the pope recovers from surgery.

The Vatican announced Oct. 23 that Pope Leo would no longer travel to Assisi Oct. 27 for an interreligious peace gathering marking the 40th anniversary of the World Day of Prayer for Peace convened by St. John Paul II.

A follow-up chest X-ray confirmed that his recovery was progressing extremely well, but doctors advised against the planned helicopter journey as a precaution, given the short time since his surgery.

The news of his cleared medical tests came just over a week after the pope underwent surgery Oct. 13 at Rome's Gemelli hospital to remove the lower lobe of his right lung. Medical tests had detected a suspicious growth that was later confirmed to be adenocarcinoma, a type of cancer that develops in glandular cells.

Throughout his hospitalization, the Vatican issued daily updates on his condition, reporting that his recovery was progressing as expected and that postoperative test results were "within the expected range."

The day after surgery, the pope began respiratory therapy, walked around his hospital room and resumed eating. As his recovery progressed, he gradually returned to daily activities and celebrated Mass with medical personnel Oct. 16.

Just four days after the operation, he was discharged Oct. 17, several days ahead of initial projections. He returned to the Vatican and led the Sunday Angelus prayer Oct. 18, during which he thanked the faithful for their prayers and the medical staff for their care.

Dr. Stefano Margaritora, the lead thoracic surgeon who operated on the pope, told Vatican News Oct. 17 that "the pope could be fully recovered in another 10 days or so."

Pope Leo is scheduled to depart Nov. 6 for an 11-day apostolic journey to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.

Asked whether the pope's recovery would affect his travel plans, Dr. Margaritora said he saw no medical obstacles to the trip.

"As for a long trip involving air travel to take place in about three weeks, I would say that there are no clinical reasons why it should not take place," he told Vatican News.

WASHINGTON – On October 27, the United States observes International Religious Freedom Day to commemorate the signing of the International Religious Freedom Act in 1998. “As Catholics, the Spirit of Truth, who dwells in human hearts, compels us to build a digital culture that respects the innate human search for truth and freedom,” said Archbishop Alexander K. Sample, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee for Religious Liberty and Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on International Justice and Peace. 

The bishop chairmen called attention to the need for human dignity to remain the central criteria for promoting religious freedom in the context of rapid technological change:

“Throughout the world, millions of people continue to suffer violations of the basic human right to religious freedom, and rapidly developing technological tools, such as artificial intelligence, have the potential to expand such abuses, increasing the scope of surveillance and persecution of religious groups. Pope Leo XIV reminds us, in Magnifica humanitas, that the right to religious freedom is rooted in human dignity, providing ‘decisive criteria’ for protecting individuals and societies. As brother bishops, we affirm that, in the age of AI, human dignity remains at the heart of defending religious freedom.

“The USCCB Committee on International Justice and Peace actively collaborates with the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom on addressing religious freedom violations around the world. This partnership is a testament to the power of joint efforts by government and faith leaders to protect this most cherished right. In this era of technological change, all of society – including the private sector – is called to work together to ensure that technological tools are not used to facilitate new and intensified forms of religious discrimination.

“As Catholics, the Spirit of Truth, who dwells in human hearts, compels us to build a digital culture that respects the innate human search for truth and freedom. In this 250th year commemorating American independence, may the Sacred Heart of Jesus, burning with love for all of humanity, make us beacons of hope for our brothers and sisters throughout the world by defending religious freedom in the digital age.”

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Marriage requires more than physical attraction, Pope Leo XIV said in his first weekly general audience since undergoing lung cancer surgery, emphasizing that authentic love involves mutual self-giving, fidelity and a lifelong commitment between spouses.

The pope, who returned to the Vatican Oct. 17 after four days in Rome's Gemelli hospital, said the responsibility to protect and promote marriage and family life is "more urgent than ever before."

Pope Leo opened his Oct. 21 general audience in St. Peter's Square by thanking God and the faithful for their prayers following surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his right lung.

Reflecting on the Second Vatican Council's pastoral constitution "Gaudium et Spes," Pope Leo said the council presented marriage as an "intimate partnership of married life and love," rooted in the mutual self-giving of spouses.

He said the council recognized that the well-being of individuals and society is closely linked to the health of marriage and family life.

Rather than understanding marriage solely as a legal contract, the council emphasized the marital covenant, through which spouses mutually give themselves to and accept one another, the pope said.

Such a union requires "total fidelity" and the "unbreakable oneness" of spouses, he said, and finds expression in the procreation and upbringing of children.

Pope Leo said marital love, understood through Christ's love, is not limited to physical attraction but "involves the entire will of the spouses, enlivening the affections of their hearts and expressing itself through sentiments and gestures of tenderness."

He emphasized that men and women are equal in dignity and that marital intimacy should deepen the mutual self-giving and shared joy of spouses.

The "supreme gift of marriage" is children, he said, through whom spouses become "cooperators with the love of God the Creator."

Pope Leo said married couples must carefully consider their own circumstances and the well-being of their children when making decisions about having children, while ensuring those decisions are guided by conscience and conform to Church teaching.

"Called to this human and Christian responsibility, they are bound to allow themselves to be guided by a sound judgement regarding their own good and that of their children, whether already born or yet to be born," he said.

The pope also reaffirmed the Church's teaching on protecting human life from conception, citing the council's condemnation of abortion and infanticide, while emphasizing the dignity of marital intimacy.

The address followed a recent weeklong Vatican meeting of presidents of bishops' conferences and heads of Eastern Catholic Churches on the implementation of Pope Francis' 2016 apostolic exhortation, "Amoris Laetitia," which addresses marriage and family life.

Pope Leo opened that meeting Oct. 7 but was hospitalized before its conclusion. The meeting's synthesis report will not be released until Pope Leo XIV has reviewed it, but some bishops spoke about their discussions with the media, saying they have a renewed commitment to listen to the realities of modern families as well as to reach young people and address their hesitancy to marry.

WASHINGTON - The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) will gather for the 2026 Fall Plenary Assembly in Baltimore, Maryland, November 16-19. The public sessions on November 17 and 18 will be livestreamed on the USCCB website.

Throughout the week they are together, the bishops will have multiple opportunities to spend time in prayer and fraternal dialogue with one another. The public portion of the assembly will begin with an address by Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the USCCB. The bishops will also hear from Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, the Papal Nuncio to the United States. 

Among the first items of business for the bishops during the plenary will be to vote for a Conference secretary. The position is up for election as Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend was elected last November to complete the term left vacant when Archbishop Coakley was elected Conference president. The bishops will also elect chairmen of six USCCB committees; the bishops elected will serve for one year as chairman-elect before beginning a three-year term at the conclusion of the 2027 Fall Plenary Assembly. The bishops will also elect a new general secretary for the USCCB.

The plenary agenda has not yet been finalized and is therefore subject to change, but the agenda is expected to include: an update from the chairman of the USCCB’s newly created Task Force on Preserving Human Dignity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence; one year since issuing their Special Message on Immigration, the bishops will receive an update from the chairman of the Committee on Migration; and the chairman of the Committee for Cultural Diversity in the Church will update the bishops on the Guadalupan Novena. There will also be a panel presentation on recent signs of new life in the Church, as indicated by a marked increase in the number of people entering the Church, and surveys indicating that young people are showing renewed interest in religion.

Votes are expected on a number of action items:

• a canonical consultation on causes of beatification and canonization of Maria Middleton and Thomas Steven Vander Woude;
• an update to the USCCB’s Diocesan Financial Reporting Guidelines;
• an update to the USCCB’s Socially Responsible Investment Guidelines; 
• new edition of the Lectionary for Mass and Book of the Gospels;
• annual observance of a Day of Prayer for Racial Justice; 
• approval from the body of bishops to review and begin updating the pastoral plan for the Secretariat on Pro-Life Activities; 
• the USCCB budget for 2027.

The livestream of the public portions of the plenary on November 17 and 18 will be available at: www.usccb.org/meetings. Those wishing to follow the meeting on social media may use the hashtag #USCCB26 follow on Instagram (@USCCB), Facebook (@USCCB), TikTok (@USBishops), Threads (@USCCB), Bluesky (@usccbofficial.bsky.social) and X (@USCCB).

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A U.S.-based Catholic association dedicated to mental health ministry released two new online resources to help lay Catholics understand the signs of mental health struggles and how to better accompany those seeking help.

Sometimes a loved one or acquaintance seems "irritable, emotional or just absent from things they used to love. But you're not sure what's wrong. Most of us don't. We weren't trained to recognize mental illness," a trailer for the free video courses said.

"We want to help. But we're afraid of saying the wrong thing, making it worse," it said, especially by offering the usual platitudes: "Time heals all wounds"; "God has a plan"; and "God never gives us more than we can handle."

Different members of the International Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers presented the trailer for the courses at Vatican News headquarters Oct. 10, World Mental Health Day. The news conference was part of its international meeting being held in Rome and at the Vatican, dedicated to "A Healing Presence: The Church's Call to Mental Health Ministry." 

The new one-hour-plus video course on "mental health literacy" aims to help people recognize some of the signs and symptoms of the most common forms of mental illness, such as depression, bipolar disorder, addiction and trauma.

The two-hour course on "psychological first aid," said Deacon Ed Shoener, founder and president of the CMHM global association, is "much like physical first aid, where you can approach someone who may be in trouble or hurting, patch them up, so to speak, help them along, accompany them, and then direct them to professional care."

The courses are not meant to train people how to diagnose problems or to provide clinical treatment or advanced spiritual care, the video said. What they do is merge faith resources with the skills to recognize, speak about and support people showing signs of a mental health struggle or crisis so that everyday Catholics can learn how to be part of a mental health ministry team for their parish -- not how to be a licensed therapist or counselor.

The video lessons include scenes shot at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Chicago with professional local actors recreating scenarios of what to do and not to do.

The National Institute of Mental Health estimated that more than 1 in 5 adults in the United States was living with a mental illness in 2022. Women, young people between 18 and 25 years old, and people of two or more races or ethnicities were just some segments of the population showing the highest reported incidence of a mental illness according to gender, age or ethnicity.

That means, in a parish of just 500 people, there could be well over 100 parishioners that might be struggling, the video said, encouraging Catholics to "look, listen and link" someone to the right resources.

Andrea Sarubbi, director of outreach for the association, encouraged parishes, dioceses, media outlets and broadcasters to write @email for more information, and to look at its online learning center at learn.catholicmhm.org to create or strengthen a parish mental health ministry team, so that mental health ministry can be an integral part of every Catholic parish and community worldwide. The new videos are at catholicmhm.org/act-videos.

The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development also published a document dedicated to "Mental Health and Pastoral Accompaniment in Humanitarian Contexts: Care and Hope in a Spirit of Fraternity."

The 30-page guide, which was sponsored by the Catholic University of Portugal and the Scalabrini International Migration Institute, presented the varied and broad pastoral experiences of different members of the church working in areas experiencing humanitarian crises or long-term conflict.

A series of "common orientations" or pathways were compiled after looking at these lived experiences through "the light of Catholic Social Teaching and with relevant knowledge and practice from the mental health field," the guide said. 

Pope Leo XIV's prayer intention for October 2026 is also dedicated to praying specifically for mental health ministries.

He asked that the Church be a "safe space where everyone has a place -- a community that accompanies and never excludes, that listens without judging and draws near without fear" and he prayed that God give strength and compassion to all those who provide care.

The pope also underlined the need to ask for forgiveness for every time a Christian looked the other way or contributed to stigmatizing or discriminating against people with mental illnesses.

According to the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network, which produces and distributes the papal prayer videos, more than 1 billion people worldwide live with a mental disorder, and less than 2% of national health budgets are dedicated to public spending on mental health.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops also has several resources as part of its National Catholic Mental Health Campaign.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Bishops will go home from a weeklong meeting on marriage and family life, with a renewed commitment to listen to the realities of modern families as well as to reach young people and their hesitancy to marry.

"In a world increasingly shaped by robots, anonymity and isolation, the family has a prophetic role to play not only in society but in the future of humanity," Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta said at the conclusion of a Vatican gathering on marriage and family life.

Speaking at an Oct. 14 briefing marking the end of a weeklong meeting Pope Leo XIV called to discuss what has been done in local churches to implement Pope Francis' 2016 document, "Amoris laetitia," on love in the family, Archbishop Scicluna and other participants said the text remains as relevant today as it was a decade ago, challenging the Church to listen to families before passing judgment and to meet people where they are.

The gathering, held Oct. 7-14, brought together 115 presidents of bishops' conferences, experts in family ministry, heads of Eastern Catholic churches and lay people to reflect on the Church's pastoral approach to marriage and family life and the steps to be taken in order to proclaim the Gospel to families today. 

The meeting's synthesis report will not be released until Pope Leo XIV has reviewed it, leaving its publication date uncertain as the pope remains hospitalized following Oct. 13 surgery to remove cancerous tissue from his lung.

Organizers of the meeting spoke at a Oct. 14 briefing, describing a world in which the challenges facing families have changed dramatically over the past decade, from economic uncertainty and declining confidence in the permanence of marriage to migration, poverty, separation and war.

Yet rather than seeking universal solutions, "Amoris Laetitia" urged Church leaders and local parishes to understand families' lived experiences and develop pastoral responses suited to their unique circumstances.

Above all, the discussions reflected a desire to remain faithful to the Gospel without treating mercy and truth as opposing principles, Jesuit Father Giacomo Costa, a consultant to the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, said in the briefing at the Vatican press office.

Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, said that although "Amoris Laetitia" has often been associated with controversies surrounding its interpretation, its broader message has already transformed how Catholics discuss marriage and family life.

"Most Catholics who know anything about 'Amoris Laetitia' know it for the footnotes, the controversies that surrounded it," he said in an interview with Catholic News Service Oct. 14. "But there's so much more to this document."

The emphasis on listening and accompaniment, he said, has become part of the Church's everyday pastoral vocabulary.

Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas, vice president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, told CNS Oct. 14 that the Church must pay particular attention to the reasons young people increasingly hesitate to marry, whether because of economic pressures, uncertainty about the future or a feeling that they are unprepared for lifelong commitment.

The challenge for local churches, Bishop Flores said, is to foster renewed confidence in the possibility of a happy married life rather than assume that the same pastoral response will work in every part of the world.

He also emphasized the need to accompany couples long after their wedding day, observing that marriage preparation programs, however comprehensive, cannot prepare couples for every challenge they will encounter.

Older couples, including those who have experienced difficulties in their own marriages, can play an important role in sustaining younger families and helping them navigate the evolving demands of married life.

Archbishop Coakley echoed that concern, noting that priests are expected to continue their formation after ordination, while marriage preparation often ends at the wedding.

"The reality is always changing, and the church needs to continue to accompany these young families, these more mature families," he told CNS.

During the weeklong meeting, bishops also considered the role of marriage tribunals, access to procedures for declarations of nullity and the need to form the consciences of those responsible for accompanying families.

The meeting also underscored the relationship between "Amoris Laetitia" and synodality, particularly the need for families to participate actively in the life and decisions of the Church rather than remain passive recipients of pastoral guidance.

At a Mass marking the conclusion of the gathering, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle read the homily prepared by Pope Leo XIV, who urged Catholics to recognize the family as the first school of love and to support married couples and families throughout their lives.

The pope encouraged the faithful to build a Church that is a "family of families," in which young couples receive encouragement, parents find support, older people are valued for their wisdom and those experiencing crises are met with affection rather than judgment.

"In this way, love lived within the family -- with its moments of struggle, mistakes and failures, yet also with the marvel of its unpredictable, everyday life -- becomes the first school of human affection, the first precious and irreplaceable apprenticeship in the 'joy of love,'" Cardinal Tagle read from the pope's prewritten homily. "For this reason, we should recognize and support the efforts of so many families who live out their vocation and mission day by day, without fanfare, yet at times with heroic fidelity."

For some participants, however, the meeting did not resolve every question about how the Church should respond to the changing realities of family life.

Father Stanislaus Chu Ilo of Chicago said the discussions demonstrated that the Church can acknowledge unresolved questions while continuing to move forward together.

"You can live in complexities," the Nigerian priest and theologian said at the Oct. 14 briefing. "There are always two sides to everything."

The gathering, he said, offered hope that by paying closer attention to the fragility of family life, the Church could better recognize God's presence in the uncertainties shaping its future.